The exasperation never ends
Friday, Jun 2, 2006 - Posted by Rich Miller
And they wonder why nobody ever believes a thing they say…
A hiring form Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office created to track state job decisions early in his tenure included a space for the applicant’s name, despite the administration’s assertion that it switched to a “blind” system for filling routine jobs soon after he took office.
A copy of the hiring form obtained Thursday by The Associated Press lists “name” alongside boxes to fill in the job title, salary information and possible start date. The form also asks agencies to check a box indicating whether the job falls under state rules requiring it to be filled by merit, not political considerations, or whether it is exempt from those rules.
The top of the forms include the names of Joe Cini, the governor’s personnel director, and Lon Monk, his chief of staff at the time.
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff said state agencies using the new forms did not fill in the box for names when requesting to fill jobs protected from political decisions. Names also are excluded from the administration’s current electronic system, she said. […]
The AP reported Wednesday that the governor’s personnel agency compiled the lists around the time he took office in 2003 with 1,800 positions - nearly 1,200 accompanied by names - showing that aides to the governor and his budget office had to sign off on each new hire, promotion, transfer and salary change.
Ottenhoff said those lists followed the format in place under Blagojevich’s predecessor, Republican Gov. George Ryan. She said names weren’t considered in hiring. Blagojevich quickly replaced the lists with a system that excluded names entirely, even though that’s not legally required, she said. […]
But the new paper hiring form obtained by the AP that replaced Ryan’s old system is led by the spot for the applicant’s name. It was submitted by an agency and is written as a memorandum from Cini to Monk, who is now Blagojevich’s campaign manager. Ottenhoff could not immediately explain how Cini and Monk were involved in the process.
I sure hope they aren’t using this sort of “change your story every day” tactic with the federales. Those FBI agents don’t like to be lied to.
- Anonymous - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 6:04 am:
Abby, tell us how much you love Illinois and that everything that YOU do is done to improve the chances for future citizens.
Go on. Say It!
- anon in central illinois - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 6:29 am:
“Patronage” is not gone, just till now hasn’t been real obvious. ?? I’m sure there is some legitimate means to approve or dis-approve hires using fair labor standards & rules ect. ; in fact I know there is ….. but sure sounds like the old “patronage employement” forms of many years ago when you went to the local P/C for help , sponsorship & was signed off on “up the ladder” by the “employement opportunity officer”, co. chairman & so on for a job or position recommendation. Then instead of a “list” there was a “list” usually with an { * } by a names & that was “folks good with them” . Ahhh ! those were the days !!
- DOWNSATE - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 7:26 am:
They keep blaming it on Ryan.Don’t this bunch understand that they had the list and they were hiring their people into jobs that they had no experience or education into that field.Prime example read the short about Ray Coleman and Sam Flood it’s true Sam Flood was a janitol and now he is running a multi-million dollar agency and his son who is also on the hiring list is one of his high paid helpers.You can see now why the DNR is in the toilet.Next they will say that these people stayed at the same hotel that’s in the ad with the helicopter pilot.He never fly before but he stayed at a Holiday Inn.
- the Patriot - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 12:03 pm:
Politicl hiring is not new, the brass and brazen method of quid pro quo- donation for a job method is unprecedented. Even Ryan had limits.
Rod should be more careful about bashing Ryan. Where he is going to end up they don’t like you bringing up the history of other residents. I believe the inmates call them a snitch and it is poor form to rat out another inmate. Careful what you say about George, Rod, he may have some useful insight on how to survive in the inside when you get there!
Besides, the defense of “we used the same forms of the guy who just got 20 to life” may not be the best way to go.
- Yawn - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 12:37 pm:
Two things may be happening here…either Abby is lying to the press….or her superiors are lying to her…which is it??
- Gregor - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 12:40 pm:
Q:How can you tell when this administration’s spokespeople are lying?
…..
- Anon - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 12:48 pm:
I heard that during the early days of the Blago administration in 2003, the agencies were asked to provide the identity and personnel records of everyone who had been hired since July 2002.
- I Hope the Battery Doesn't Leak - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 2:58 pm:
Sorry, Abby, could you say that a bit louder, leaning over towards my lapel?
- IDOT PRO - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 3:01 pm:
What page is Abby’s name on?
- Governor Blagojevich - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 4:25 pm:
A funny thing happened to me on the way over here. We came to a stop light and I rolled the window down to get some fresh air. When I did this a little black girl saw me through the open window and got really excited. Then she asked me, “Hey, are you the guy who blames everything on old George Ryan?”
- Gregor - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 5:14 pm:
We have a winner!
- I Hope the Battery Doesn't Leak - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 5:27 pm:
Sorry, Governor, could you say that a bit louder, leaning over towards my lapel?
- Theodore - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 6:05 pm:
Poor Abby, it is hard to lie all the time
- Jechislo - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 7:49 pm:
I hope Rod is thinking and gets a different set of attorneys than George Ryan had….. On second thought, I hope he uses the same ones.
- anon - Friday, Jun 2, 06 @ 10:33 pm:
The gov’s ofc is most definitely still approving individual/specific hiring. They’ve teched it up a notch & instead of it being some type of spreadsheet kept by someone, they had a database created called epar (stands for electronic personnel action requests, I believe)…the way the process works is - when an agency under the gov wants to post a job, once that agency director has approved the request it’s entered into epar, budget has to approve the money to be spent to fill the job, then the gov’s ofc approves the job being posted. After being posted, interviews done, scored, returned back to personnel, then another epar entry is required that then has to again be approved by budget & the gov’s ofc, but this time the individual they’re wanting to offer the job to has their name in the system tied to that job. It’s the case for any jobs that are posted, union or merit comp. There is nothing generic about that type of approval system & it’s also nothing that works very efficiently. Average lag between the request with the individual’s name tied to the position & approval is 4-6 months, if you’re lucky!